


When the Truth Comes Out

by Archaeologyfiend



Series: From a Certain Point of View [8]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Ahsoka Tano Needs a Hug, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bail should know better, Breha is a good mother, Fake Character Death, Human Disaster Anakin Skywalker, Jedi council bashing, Leia Organa Deserves Better, Luke Is A Good Brother, Not necessarily in a good light, OC, Obi-Wan Kenobi is a Mess, Protective Ahsoka Tano, References to the Jedi Council, Skywalker Family Drama, Skywalker Family Feels, Slavery, So does Rex, Tatooine Slave Culture, The Council hid a lot, Yoda is mentioned, he doesn't
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-26
Updated: 2019-01-26
Packaged: 2019-10-17 05:06:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17553929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Archaeologyfiend/pseuds/Archaeologyfiend
Summary: The news that Vader is dead spreads across the galaxy, reaching Ahsoka Tano. She travels to Alderaan to protect the Skywalker children, Rex is mad at the Council and Bail realises he may have made a colossal mistake. Obi-Wan Kenobi is still confused.OrAhsoka finally gets to punch an old Master of hers. Luke is a good brother to Leia and Breha deserves and award of some kind.





	When the Truth Comes Out

**Author's Note:**

> I may have written this solely so Ahsoka can give Obi-Wan that punch he so deserves.

When Ahsoka Tano heard the news that Darth Vader was dead, she very nearly gave away her position to the Stormtroopers below her. It was only years of training and a knowledge that there had to be something else going on behind those words that prevented her from falling. The commotion below her also helped as Generals meandered, no longer sure what they were meant to do. Who they were supposed to answer to. She decided that she had enough information from this particular job and extricated herself, slipping away back to her ship. Waiting for her was one very pale clone.

“Vader’s dead,” Rex croaked in disbelief. A long time ago, after Malachor, she had shared her suspicions about Vader to him. It was only now that she realised that she had never told Rex that Anakin and Vader were somewhat separate.

“I’m going to kill him,” was what she answered with, firing up the engines. Rex gave her a quizzical look and Ahsoka pondered whether or not to give him some warning. She wasn’t given time to think on that though as her comm went off, a familiar signal despite the fact that the comm itself couldn’t understand the frequency. She answered it and repeated herself. “I’m going to kill you.” There was a chuckle and, faintly, a girlish giggle from whoever he was currently with. Most likely the youngest Naberrie.

“I take it you heard the news?” he asked, and she glared at the comm like he would be able to feel her ire through the comm. He sounded ultimately far too amused for not having given her any warning, but there was an undercurrent in his voice that she couldn’t quite grasp.

“Vader’s dead,” she said, focusing on getting out of the atmosphere. “How did you pull that one off?”

“Robotics, a few Force tricks and a prayer,” was the answer she got and Ahsoka rolled her eyes. Of course, he would reuse the old prosthetics. It was probably something his therapist put him up to. Rex was sitting beside her, silent and staring, clearly confused.

“You owe Rex an apology,” she said pointedly, and Rex jumped, blinking at her. “He thought you were dead.” There was a brief moment of silence and then,

“Sorry Rex.” He actually sounded apologetic. And tired. Must have been a long day.

“You have Captain Rex with you?” a girl’s voice asked, louder than before. Ahsoka had never actually met Milè Naberrie. She had been off planet whenever Ahsoka had been to Naboo and she had only run into Anakin in person by accident two years before. What he’d been doing on Tatooine was anyone’s guess, especially after he had vowed never to step foot there again. Although he had also been in the company of Sho, so that might explain why he was there. Rex seemed surprised that Milè knew of him at all.

“Um… yes,” he coughed. “You gave us a scare General.” There was a disapproving tone in his voice, the closest the clone would ever get to calling him out on something, and Anakin made a noise that sounded like he might have just coughed in embarrassment. Milè didn’t seem to notice.

“It’s nice to meet you,” she said, polite as anything. Ahsoka had yet to meet a Naberrie that wasn’t politically minded in some way. She would hate to be Obi-Wan when Sola finally caught up with him. Or when she eventually got to give him that punch she had saved up, because she had _questions_. “I’m Milè Naberrie.” It was as if the girl could sense Rex’s confusion.

“Good to meet you too,” Rex said, voice softer. No doubt he could hear how young she was, no older than Ahsoka had been the first time they had met. “I take it you’re related to the Senator?”

“Mm, Aunt Padme was mama’s sister,” she said, tone light. “Uncle Ani talks about you all the time.” Ahsoka felt Rex restrain himself from swearing.

“General, I now owe Wolffe fifty credits,” Rex said huffily and Ahsoka held in a giggle. It was no secret amongst the clones that Anakin and Padme had had a _thing_ going on, but the betting pool was about how far they had taken it. Cody had been adamant nothing would happen, that Anakin was too honourable a Jedi, while Rex had thought they were close but not _married_ close. Ahsoka hadn’t either, not until Sola had sat her down with a laugh when she’d turned up, all those years ago, bursting with a hundred questions and explained some things. It was… odd, how different the two sisters were. Padme had never had a vindictive streak.

“Sorry,” Anakin said, sounding not the least bit so. “Snips, I need a favour.” He suddenly sounded every one of his forty two years. It was probably the first time Ahsoka had considered that he was getting old.

“What is it this time Skyguy?” she asked, curious. Anakin rarely asked favours despite knowing Ahsoka was happy to do them. In fact, he hadn’t asked for anything the first couple of years and only tentatively four years ago when he couldn’t get away from being Vader to do that job. She had accepted at once, thinking back on his reluctance to leave Rex and the others on their first ever mission, rescuing Rotta. That made much more sense, now that she had all the pieces.

“I need you to go to Alderaan. Luke and Leia are both there.” That _did_ surprise her. The last time she had seen Luke was his eighteenth birthday, four standard months ago, and she had dropped off the present Anakin had given her for him. The last she’d heard, Sho was still there, looking for him.

“What’s Luke doing on Alderaan?” she asked. “I thought they were supposed to be in hiding from the Emperor?”

“They are,” Anakin said. “Obi-Wan got involved.” _Oh_. Well, now it made sense why he wasn’t there. “Apparently he was on Tatooine and Luke found R2 before he reached him.” _Oh, really not good_. Because _of course_ Luke would take after Skyguy and get involved in the nearest trouble he could stumble into. Rex looked like he had picked up on that too from her unimpressed look she was giving the comm. Not necessarily to Anakin, just towards Skywalkers in general.

“You got it. We’ll be there as soon as we can,” she said, already inputting the co-ordinates into the nav-computer. “And Anakin,” she said before he could hang up. There was a pause, surprise leaking down the remains of the Force-bond he had never really broken after she left the Order. “Be careful.” Because there was no knowing when the Emperor would work out this ruse.

“Don’t worry, Mama will kill him herself if he jumps off _more_ cliffs,” Milè piped up and squeaked as Anakin made a rather undignified noise. She got the feeling he had just poked her hard, but Ahsoka appreciated her efforts. So long as the girl was there, she could count on Anakin not getting _too_ reckless. Or… well, into a disastrous amount of danger. Sola had been rather clear as to what Anakin’s fluctuating mental state was, a few strict words on what she should expect. Meeting Sy-Ro Kenobi had been something of an experience too. The comm disconnected soon after that and Rex was still staring hard at it, face blank.

“Cliffs?” he asked, suspicious. Ahsoka grimaced as they made the jump to hyperspace.

“Anakin’s not been doing so well.”  They had some time before reaching Alderaan. At least now he wouldn’t have to live under the claws of the Emperor. Sy-Ro was probably jumping for joy, wherever he was.

* * *

Ahsoka had been to Alderaan before and gave Bail a gracious smile when they landed, only a few hours later. Then she spotted Obi-Wan lurking behind him, aged nearly beyond recognition and smiling warmly at her.

“Ahsoka! I didn’t-“ He never got to finish whatever he was about to say. Her fist met his mouth before he could, unable to hold herself back. Rex made no motion, merely raised an eyebrow as the old Jedi went down, shock written across his face. Luke looked a bit surprised too although it was nothing to the expression on Leia’s face.

“Next time you leave your old Padawan to burn alive on a lava planet, try to have the decency to kill him off first,” she snapped, turning away from him and the shocked expression on Bail’s now very pale face. Instead she gave Luke a bright smile, who didn’t waste any time running over to give her a hug. His hand was clenched around something in his hand and he was dressed in some ill-fitting Stormtrooper armour. It was still surreal to be hugged by a tiny visage of Anakin.

“’Lo Aunt Soka!” he said brightly, but she got the feeling he had been crying.

“What’s this I hear about a Death Star?” she asked, faux angry. Luke blushed, looking at his shoes as if they might give the answer and she laughed. “Only Skywalkers!” And grabbed him in for another hug, just to make sure he was safe.

“I take it back,” Rex said behind her. “Heavy owes me a hundred credits, so I get mine back. Nice to meet you, sir.” Luke blinked at the formal wording and Ahsoka nudged him in the side.

“Luke, this is Captain Rex. He led the 501st under your father in the Clone Wars,” she explained, and Luke’s mouth fell open. And then the floodgates opened, and she left Rex looking slightly overwhelmed as Luke asked him all the questions under the suns, including a few she had refused to answer. Unfortunately, she had to ignore Rex’s quiet, “Commander!” as Obi-Wan had finally picked himself up off the floor. He looked somewhat betrayed.

“You trained Luke?” he asked, rubbing what was sure to be a bruise blooming on his cheek. Ahsoka nodded, standing a good step out of reach. She wasn’t sure how much she could trust Obi-Wan. Leia had come to stand with her adoptive father, questions written across her face. She could see how much she took after her mother, but those eyes… They might have been brown, but they burned with the same ferocity as Anakin’s. Her temper was as short as his too. “Ahsoka…”

“Anakin asked,” she said stiffly. “He couldn’t shield them both forever from Sidious. Not when he was being punished.” Amongst other things. Anakin never spoke about what Sidious _did_ in his torture sessions, but Ahsoka could guess. She knew what Dooku could do with lightening, had seen how Maul fought, and extrapolated from there. After all, Sidious had been their _master_ but never in the way he was to Anakin. It made her feel sick just thinking about it. Bail seemed to go paler at her use of the plural and Obi-Wan… stared.

“Shield? Ahsoka-“

“Yes, shield. I had to talk Luke out of lightsabre practice otherwise who knows where he would have ended up in the galaxy?” Especially not if he had listened to what Obi-Wan told him. “If you think Owen had a heart attack at that, it was nothing to Anakin’s reaction.” She didn’t want to think of the half-gasped breaths at the other end of the comm as she urged him to breathe because, _no,_ she wouldn’t let him run off to the Academy.

“You _told_ him?” Bail _almost_ squeaked but he was too well trained to do so. “Do you _know what you’ve done_?”

“Prevented Luke from committing unwitting patricide?” It might have been an… extreme view, but from the disgruntled noise behind her, Obi-Wan’s blindsided look and Leia’s wide eyes, it might not have been too far from the truth.

“What? Ahsoka, _no_ , that’s not… I would never…” Obi-Wan trailed off in the face of her anger as she continued to scowl at his platitudes. She had heard a few too many during the Clone Wars to listen to them now, especially after she had been half-thrown out of the Order for something she didn’t do. It was true, even now, that Anakin was the only one during that whole debacle that she could trust.

“After everything I’ve know you to do,” she started, “it wouldn’t be outside the realms of possibility.” She paused and let that sink in, a horror spreading across Leia’s face as she glanced between her adoptive father and Obi-Wan who looked like she had just struck him again. “Why did you never remove the chip?”

“The what?” Bail asked, true confusion surrounding him. So, the Council had never said anything to anyone. Obi-Wan too, bled confusion into the Force. So, he wasn’t responsible for that. Good to know. She’d let Anakin know too, let him make his own conclusions. It wouldn’t clear the air between them- there was too much bad blood between them for anything to return to the way it was, but it might help them to be able to be in the same space without Anakin wanting to behead his old Master. Possibly. Ahsoka drew in a deep breath, forcing calm over herself and drawing on the comfort of the Force. She could feel Rex listening intently now, Luke silent.

 _You don’t want to hear this_ she prodded him. _Ask Leia to show you the palace._

 _But-_ Luke stopped halfway through the protest, swallowing.

“Hey, Leia,” he asked, voice wobbly. “Can you show me around? I… I’ve never been off planet before.” It was a good thing he was so innocent- no one would believe that in any kind of court. Leia did seem to want to leave too though and jumped at the opportunity, agreeing quickly. A quick glance at the girl’s shields showed a torrent of emotions, betrayal amongst them, that showed she had worked a few things out herself. When they were both gone, Rex stepped up, eyes narrowed and voice hard.

“Chip, Commander?” he prompted, slipping back into that military mindset that had been drilled into him. This would be something he had never heard before.

“Twelve years ago, a doctor removed a slave chip from Anakin’s head. Apparently, the Council never removed it when he was admitted into the Order and just handed the codes over to the Senate.” Rex stiffened, anger bleeding into the Force and Obi-Wan blinked. Bail just looked confused.

“I didn’t hear anything about this,” he said, sounding slightly disbelieving. Obi-Wan had a remarkably different reaction.

“It was within his skull; the healers couldn’t get to it. We turned it off,” he said, sounding confused as to where she was going with this. Rex, however, most certainly did.

“So, you handed the codes to the Chancellor,” he half growled. “Like the clone orders.” If they hadn’t caught on before, they certainly did now. Obi-Wan went sheet pale and Bail looked as if he might be sick. Ahsoka decided to drive the point home.

“And we all know _he_ would most certainly turn it back on.” Not to mention she wasn’t entirely sure the Jedi Council _wouldn’t_ have taken advantage of having control of Anakin, with or without Obi-Wan’s knowledge. “I’m also not sure about whether it was used for Zygerria.” Ok, that was a low blow but right now, she wasn’t feeling charitable. Neither was Rex who looked as if he might follow her lead and punch Obi-Wan himself.

“I… He…” For once, the mighty Negotiator was without words. “I didn’t know,” he whispered, his horror clear in the Force. “I thought…”

“That he turned to the Dark Side? The last I checked, the Son had to trick him into it,” Ahsoka spat. Mortis had not been kind to any of them, except, perhaps, Obi-Wan, who had never felt the Dark Side sink it’s claws in quite like it had her and Anakin. _Force_ , she had _died,_ and she only remembered when the remnants of the Daughter caught up with her on Malachor. Were the Father not dead already, he most certainly would be now. Obi-Wan’s face clouded then, becoming defensive.

“I _didn’t know_. You know what Anakin was like, he was volatile, there was always a possibility…” He trailed off at the look on her, and most likely Rex’s, face. The anger was still there, and she had had _enough_ of listening to Jedi platitudes.

“Anakin was a _slave_ ,” she ground out, knowing Rex would back her up on this. “A fact that you only told me when we had to deal with _slavers_. A fact he only told me when I asked what the cord around his neck was for.” Another cloud of confusion in the Force. Did Obi-Wan not know about the remembrance cord? That was… odd. “Not to mention, you never had to see what it was like after Rako Hardeen.” And _there_ was the twitch, the admittance that he might have messed up on that one. “How much he struggled _not_ to turn to the Dark Side when he thought you were _dead_. Anakin was a lot of things, but evil was never one of them until both you and Palpatine stripped _everything_ from him.” Because he hadn’t. Anakin hadn’t spared her anything, explained every brutal thing he had done as Vader, every sacrifice he had had to make under this long running ruse, undermining the Emperor. Already, those small cogs were working their way out, the competent Admirals and Generals chosen by Vader splitting from those who were lost in the wake of Vader’s final death.

There would be no more use of that slave name.

“The Commander’s right,” Rex said, cutting off whatever Obi-Wan was about to say. “We clones never said anything, because it was war. We understand you have to sacrifice some things to win. And the General understood that in war, you hold on to what is most important. He was never the same after the Commander left.” It was closest Rex was likely to come to telling him off. “General Skywalker never treated us as anything less than individuals.” _Never treated us as slaves_ went unsaid. If there was anyone who would understand the restrictions of chips, it was Rex. His had been removed after the disaster of Tup and Fives- she silently thanked Anakin’s paranoid nature now.

“Master Yoda never said…” Bail stuttered, incomprehensible. Apparently, he knew even less than Obi-Wan. “It was his idea to split them up.” Ahsoka raised a brow. Interesting. She wondered if they would tell her where to find the diminutive Jedi Master.

“Them?” Rex asked, confusion breaking through the anger.

“Luke and Leia are twins,” Ahsoks explained. “Sola told me. You never wiped your presence off Polis Massa, so she did the favour for you.” Obi-Wan stared once again in horror and Bail sat on a nearby crate.

“Oh,” he said. Apparently, it had been one shock too many. He swallowed. “No wonder she wouldn’t join me. She must have known…”

“Yes, they did,” Ahsoka said, more gently this time. It was obvious Bail had been working with what he had _thought_ was the truth. He had been an old friend of Padme’s and had probably wanted nothing more than to help. It did discomfort her that he had taken Leia so quickly, but he clearly tried his best. Some issues notwithstanding. “Apparently, Jobal insisted they renew their vows on their first anniversary so everyone could celebrate.” She internally sniggered at the expression Anakin had pulled when he had told her that. It took a lot to make Anakin Skywalker look _embarrassed_. Bail just nodded, clearly processing. Obi-Wan was silent, having no more arguments to make. She gave him a full minuet before turning away. “I’ll go find the twins now, if you don’t mind. I’m sure they’ve put some things together on their own.”

With that, she left them sitting there, contemplating their actions, Rex stomping along behind her.

* * *

Chip. Patricide. Shielding from Sidious… Leia’s mind was a mess and she was glad Luke had given her a way out to try and put it together in her head. A few realisations had wormed their way into her head the moment Fulcrum turned up, a few more from her words and a terrible truth that she had been _lied_ to her whole life. Because… because the Imperial Princess trusted Luke and Luke was Anakin Skywalker’s son and Anakin Skywalker _was_ …

They had come to the other side of the castle and Leia realised Luke was still wearing Stormtrooper armour. And that they had left the smuggler Han to wander as he pleased. Somehow, that worried her less than Luke’s wellbeing right now.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured, drawing on hard-earned manners that her tutor had despaired to teach her. “We can find you a change of clothes if you want.” Luke shifted slightly, a grateful smile on his face. He, too, was pale but not too shocked. He was watching her, curious. She wondered what was going through his head. Had he known? Did he know that the monster they had all feared was his father? That he had cried over the most hated man in the galaxy? It was hardly as if Fulcrum had been attempting to be quiet and the clone had always had half an ear towards the conversation her father had been having.

Her father… who had _lied to her_.

“A change of clothes would be great,” Luke said. “This armour chafes in some weird places.” A moment later he seemed to realise what he had said and blushed, but Leia was too confused to care. It made for a good distraction anyhow.

“We should have some…” she trailed off as her mother turned the corner, surprise evident on her face at the sight of the two of them.

“Leia!” Queen Breha swept over, wrapping her daughter into a hug. “I’m so glad you’re alright!” She gave her another squeeze, but Leia found herself unable to cling to her as she wanted. As she had wanted not only a few hours ago. Did her mother know? Was she as complicit in these lies as her father? Breha pulled back, confused, but didn’t broach the topic. “Who is your friend?” She was eyeing Luke with a critical eye, probably noting every similarity between him and the old holos Leia had collected of Anakin Skywalker.

“This…” Oh, how could she explain? How could she explain that not some hours ago, she would have _celebrated_ in Luke’s, poor innocent Luke’s, death. Thankfully, Luke seemed to sense her confusion because he answered for her.

“I’m Luke Skywalker,” he said. He was holding the small talisman his father had given him all the more tightly in his hand. “I came here with old Be- Obi-Wan Kenobi to help rescue her.” Breha’s eyes widened and she gave a soft gasp.

“Oh,” she said and suddenly swept him into a hug too. “It is wonderful to meet you Luke.” She ran another eye over him, smiling. “You look just like him.” Luke blinked and returned her smile.

“Thank you, although Aunt Soka likes to remind me that I take after my mother in height.” And wasn’t that true, considering the terrifying hulking figure Vader had been, no matter that out of the armour he had been a few inches shorter. Breha blinked and then laughed.

“I imagine that is true,” she said and then ushered them to follow her. “I take it you’ll want a change of clothes. I’m afraid the only ones we might have in your size would be a recruit uniform…” Her mother continued to chatter, and Luke caught her arm, nodding to her mother every so often while leaning close.

“Are you alright?” he whispered, concern evident in his voice.

“I…” Leia didn’t know how to answer. She found herself remembering Pooja’s offhand comment that Palpatine had been punishing Vader. That Ahsoka had used similar language when saying why she had trained Luke. And it reminded her all over again that she had been lied to. “No,” she whispered back, and it _hurt_ to admit that. Luke grabbed her hand and squeezed, reassurance bleeding over her from him.

“I have a twin sister,” he suddenly announced, too quiet for her mother to hear, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “Father said we were split up at birth.” The silence led to the truth that Luke had never been told _why_. Except that now he might have an idea. And so did Leia. Because it wasn’t exactly a secret that she was adopted and… and Senator Amidala had been an old friend of her father’s. And knowing her father… She didn’t answer Luke, but she did squeeze his hand back, clinging to it as the only solid thing she had at this moment. The only concrete truth that she could truly think about, the Force whispering how right that truth was.

She waited outside with her mother in awkward silence as Luke quickly changed. He came out wearing a jacket too and Leia remembered he had been raised on a desert planet. No doubt Alderaan, with its moderate temperature and cool lakes, felt chilly to him. Breha smiled at him warmly, not questioning anything and that was the moment Ahsoka found them, followed by the clone. Her mother looked surprised at the sour expression on the Togruta’s face, as if she had just swallowed something foul.

“Ahsoka Tano,” she said, surprise carefully hidden. “It’s a pleasure to meet you again. You too, Captain Rex.” Of course, her mother would have met the clones during the war. She wondered how one told them apart, but Ahsoka never seemed to have a problem. Ahsoka pasted a grim smile on her face, returning her mother’s pleasantries. Breha glanced between them and then let out a soft sigh. “I see this is going to be a long conversation. Perhaps you would all like to join me for tea?” _Me_ , not _us_. Was she being excluded already? A lump formed in her throat and Leia angrily swallowed it back, reaching for the anchor that was her brother, there and steadfast in the Force and in person. He took her hand readily, easily.

Her mother led them to the veranda, overlooking the gardens, a tea service already set up. Leia blinked, wondering when she had had time to do so, and then realised she had probably had it set up for their other guests. Mainly, those that were not here. The clone, Rex, sat stiffly in his chair, Luke taking one next to her and her mother on her other side. Ahsoka appeared to have too much energy to sit and took to pacing instead.

“So you knew,” she said, coming to turn towards her mother who had just poured tea into the delicate china cups. Breha passed her one first, dropping in some milk just how she liked it, along with a biscuit and a smile. She offered the next cup to Luke before giving an answer.

“I knew who Leia’s birth parents were,” she confirmed, albeit a little sadly. “Bail never told me about Luke. Or what had become of Anakin.” Ahsoka paused in her pacing and Leia relaxed ever so slightly. So, her mother hadn’t known, hadn’t cherry picked information to give to her. “But I could guess. Sugar?” Ahsoka blinked at her but acquiesced, sitting on the edge of the final chair, fidgeting slightly. It was clear she was agitated by all these lies too.

“How much did you know?” Ahsoka asked, stirring four sugar cubes into the tea, making it ridiculously sweet. Breha just seemed amused by that, but her eyes were sad as she contemplated her own cup.

“Know? Very little. My husband thought he was protecting me and, therefore, Leia. Complete deniability. But I’m not an idiot. Anakin Skywalker disappears, and Vader appears out of nowhere, the Emperor’s most trusted man?” Breha took a sip of her tea, contemplating what she was about to say next. “His actions though… didn’t add up.” Rex was giving her a hard look over his own untouched cup. “So, I did some research.” She had? “There was no medical record for Leia’s birth, nothing for Anakin either until he entered the Jedi Order. On paper, neither of them existed.” That was… strange. How could she, and presumably Luke, not exist? Luke was leaning in, listening intently too. “What I did find was a list of numbers. AS-79687, a record of a transmitter and a control code.” The silence felt deafening.

A slave code. Her biological father had existed as no more than a _slave code_ for the first ten years of his life.

“Slavery was illegal under the Republic,” Leia said numbly, unsure how much more of this she would be able to process. Luke was gripping something in his pocket, no doubt the small talisman.

“Not on Tatooine,” he said grimly. “Not in Hutt space.”

“Not during the Clone Wars either,” Ahsoka said, her tone soft but eyes hard, remembering something. Even Rex was stonier faced than before. Leia swallowed, taking a long sip from her tea to wash out the taste of bile. It seemed that everything she knew about the past was warped in some way, lies stacked on lies about everything.

“There was no medical report of it being removed,” Breha said, almost casually, but she was watching Ahsoka’s reaction. The Togruta woman narrowed her eyes.

“So, it wasn’t hard to find?” There was a bite there, a bitterness towards people not in the room. Breha considered the answer for a moment.

“Not impossible but not open to the public. Lucky for me, the Emperor doesn’t much care about the medical records from the Clone Wars so long as one doesn’t go poking around for specific details of the Jedi. He thinks that he’s… subtle.” Ahsoka snorted.

“He picked the least subtle person to be his enforcer,” she muttered, and Leia found she agreed with her. Vader had been known for many things. Subtle wasn’t one of them.

“Indeed,” Breha said, hiding a smile behind her teacup.

“So, you knew I was… That my father was…” Leia couldn’t quite bring herself to say it. Breha turned towards her, her face as patient as always. Even when Leia had been screaming at her over how unfair life was, how unjust the Empire, her mother had just faced down her tantrums with that same patient look, encouraging her to find the answer with only light prompting. But now, Leia didn’t know what the right answer was. “How could you love me?” she whispered. “Knowing I might be…”

“Oh, Leia.” And suddenly, she was swept up into her mother’s arms, warm and solid and full of all the love she had feared was a ruse. “I could never love you any less, no matter your parents. You were a blessing, a daughter when we could not have one of our own.” And Leia cried, clung to her mother in a way she hadn’t done in so long. No one said anything as her mother rocked her, letting her cry herself out. Leia very rarely cried, usually thought it a waste of time and energy but today there was nowhere for those feelings to go. Nothing constructive she could do with them, not with all the revelations her father and mother had dumped on her head all in one day. When she finally pulled away, wiping away the evidence of her tears, her mother just poured her another cup, placing a kiss on her cheek as she handed it over. “We will always love you, no matter what. But Leia…” her mother paused, giving her a serious look. “Promise me you’ll give Anakin a chance?” Leia frowned, stubborn. Her biological father might not be quite the monster she thought him, but still.

“He killed-“ she started but her mother cut her off with a shake of her head.

“I know what your father told you, but it cannot be true. Padme would not have been able to give birth to you and Luke, had that been true.” Leia stared at her mother, just as Rex raised a curious eyebrow. Luke, too, was looking interested. “The way your father told me, Obi-Wan was there when you were both born. After he… defeated Anakin.” Leia got the feeling her mother had something to say on that subject but was letting it lie for now. “If Anakin was defeated by then, there would be no way he would be in any form of health to kill Padme. I don’t know how she died and Sola will not tell me, but she assures me Anakin had nothing to do with it.” Leia wanted to call them all lies, because then it meant that her father had told her _more_ lies, that he had just bundled them up, over and over, for years. That she had been judging people unjustly. “Will you promise me Leia?”

“I’ll… I’ll try,” she relented, glancing towards Luke’s wide eyes. Because Luke wanted to know… and now she had someone to share this mess with, who wouldn’t judge her. Luke gave her a smile and then, suddenly, held something out to her. She blinked at the tiny talisman, circular and slightly different to the one she had seen Luke holding earlier. The markings were different too and it was made from some kind of wood she had never seen before.

“Father wanted you to have this,” he said, letting her take it from his palm. He pulled the one she had seen earlier out, showing it to the table. “It’s a remembrance charm.”

“A what?” she asked, curious despite herself. She knew nothing of the culture on Tatooine. Luke shifted slightly, fiddling with his.

“A remembrance charm. They’re usually hung on cords worn around the neck or wrist. It’s a way for slaves to take a piece of those close to them everywhere. Aunt Beru has one from before she was freed, years ago and she showed me how they work. When there’s someone close to you that might be going away, or your children get sold on, you make them a charm to wear, to remind them of you. That you are with them wherever you may be.” Luke was staring down at his, tracing the small symbols on the small charm. “It’s a promise that you’ll meet again someday.”

“Oh.” Leia blinked, glancing down at the one Luke had given her. No doubt, it had been given to him to pass on and… “Oh.” He had known, he had known about them both but had left to keep them safe. That Anakin had made one, for her, a promise that she had not been aware he was making when they separated was… strange. An estranged father who loved her despite the fact that she had called him a monster to his face. No wonder Milè had kicked her. “Thank you,” she said, feeling small. Breha gave her a small hug and Leia could feel her pride in the Force, could see the small smile Ahsoka was hiding behind her teacup and the one Rex wasn’t as he finally picked up the cup in front of him.

For now, she could leave the mess that was the relation with her father alone. Right here, right now, she was loved, sat between her mother and her brother, neither of which were judging her for considering the other family. She could live with that, she thought. And maybe, one day, she might be able to find room for Anakin Skywalker too.

**Author's Note:**

> You know, for the longest time I assumed that the Council was mostly to blame for the Rako Hardeen arc. Then I rewatched it. Damn, Obi-Wan you are cold. Anakin's upstairs mourning his death and your downstairs, cracking jokes and explaining away his feelings like 'oh, we need to make it authentic. Anakin will sell it for us'. Not to mention, when Anakin is rightfully pissed when he eventually discovers that his father figure is not dead, Obi-Wan is still somehow confused as to why. And then never brings it up again. And then the whole debacle of Ahsoka's trial happens and I honestly think that that was the final nail in the coffin for Anakin's trust in his master. It makes sense why he didn't immediately run to him, the moment he was worried about Padme and instead went to Yoda. And we'll get to Yoda one of these days, don't worry.
> 
> As for Ahsoka, well, she's got her head screwed on right at least. And I have no doubt she wouldn't be putting up with any of this, plus the fact that she, too, would be sick of listening to Obi-Wan's excuses. I believe the Duchess Satine put it best: 'the bundle of hyperbole and half-truths that is Obi-Wan Kenobi'. You deserved better Satine, you really did. Doubly so, considering she was literally weeping in Padme's arms at Obi-Wan's faux funeral. Man I hate the Rako Hardeen arc, despite how good it is. It just highlights the worst of Kenobi and I don't understand how people can continue to defend him when you break all of it down like that.
> 
> I may have a mild soft spot for Breha. She's incredibly accepting that her husband just turns up one day with baby Leia in tow and probably didn't explain everything. I also think, as Queen of Alderaan and the wife of a Senator, she would have done her own digging and probably knew and accepted that Leia was like her father. As I've written her here, I don't think she would be writing any divorce papers, but she sure isn't entirely impressed with her husband's actions. She can, however, see why he did them and accept him for his faults. She's thinking that he made what he thought was the best decision with the knowledge that he had- I don't think it was exactly common knowledge that Anakin was a slave considering Ahsoka has to be told when Anakin has an... extreme reaction to the Zygerrion Empire. 
> 
> Again, why is Anakin on any mission involving slavery? It's almost like the Council went 'what's the most triggering mission we can put Skywalker on? Oh, I know, we'll have him return a baby Hutt, despite the fact that he used to be OWNED by one, and then we'll send him to a literal Empire of slavers where he'll have to play nice with the Queen of the place'. I don't know, Anakin's blithe comment of 'having played that role before' to Ahsoka is just kinda weird to me- that may have been the entire conception of this fic.
> 
> Right, rants over with, I hope you enjoyed this and expect more in the future! I don't think the next one will follow the events of this- I'm currently working on one taking place after 'The Different Stages of Grief' that covers a lot of time and my next piece might be about Ahsoka's visit to the Naberries and the exploits of Sho and the slave runs. And there will be one covering Yoda and the Emperor. But that's later, so I hope you enjoyed this one!


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